¨~«=§§£###                                          ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£##                                          ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£#                                          #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£                                          £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                                          §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§               WINDS ESKER                §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«= «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                                          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ THERE  WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ I COULDN'T GO  TO.  REGARDLESS  HOW MUCH £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# DISCUSSED  WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED OUT #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£## ON MAPS, I COULD  NOT  THINK  OF IT WHEN ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£### ALONE. I WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£## FORK, WHERE A  RIGHT  TURN  WOULD SURELY ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN  THEN, SOMETHING #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£               KEPT ME AWAY.              £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                                          §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT THERE,  AFTER  SOME §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ ASSUME,  THE  PLACE   WAS  SURREAL.   AN §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ ESKER, LIKE  A NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT  IN §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN   METERS  HIGH  AND £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# ADORNED  IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£##               BLUEBERRIES.               ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£###                                          ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£## WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# NOTICE THE  VIEW  TO  EITHER SIDE. THERE #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST  OFF, THEY §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ WERE MUCH TOO  CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«= STRETCH  FOR A HUNDRED  METERS  MORE  ON =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I  FELT I  COULD §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ ALMOST REACH OUT  AND  TOUCH  THEM.  AND §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ THEN, WHEN I  REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£#           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£##                                          ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£### THEY WERE  OF  THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT  THIS ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£##       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF LUNGS  CARVED #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ INTO THE  GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=    IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY     =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING  MANY MILES §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                  AWAY.                   §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£                                          £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# I  EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,  THE   TREELINE #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£## ABOVE.  WAS THIS  WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£### FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£##                 REMEMBER.                ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£#                                          #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ CARRYING  FORWARD, ON THE  VERY  TIP  OF £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ THE  ESKER,  I  FOUND THE RUINS OF  SOME §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«= MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE DAMS  AGAINST  THE §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£              GROUND ITSELF.              £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£#                                          #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£## SITTING  THERE, I  COULD SEE  ACROSS THE ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£### NARROWED  LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£## SAT: FROM  THE STAIRWELL  OF  MY  HOUSE, ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# THROUGH  THE  OLD WOODS BEHIND  THE TILE #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK UNDER  IT, §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ THROUGH  THE  FANCY   VILLAS,  OVER  THE §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«= FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT  TURN AT THE =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                   FORK.                  §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                                          §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ AND THEN  THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE  RIDGE. £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS PROBABLY  IT. #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£## HIDDEN IN  A GROVE,  THERE  WERE  STAIRS ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£### MUCH LIKE  THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£## OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT LEAD YOU  UP ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF  ENTRY. HAD #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ I INSTED OPTED TO  WALK THE  PATH AT ITS £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§ FOOT,  I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=                                          =«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                                          §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£# BOATS.  I WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«=§§£## ME?  IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY TURN TO ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨~«=§§£###          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ###£§§=«~¨
¨¨~«=§§£##                                          ##£§§=«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«=§§£#                                          #£§§=«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«=§§£                                          £§§=«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«=§§                                          §§=«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=§                                          §=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨